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nessynoname's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
jordyshore's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
heartbreaking in a humanity-expanding manner.
nkives's review against another edition
4.0
Pretty interesting read. Takes place in about a 6 months span between 1928-1929 in Berlin. Events and the lives of people during the switch of power from the Kaiser and to the Labour party. This was originally supposed to be a 3 books series, but the 3rd never came out, so I'm curious what happened. This takes me back to reading [b:Maus|15195|The Complete Maus|Art Spiegelman|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/515jDZ0eQmL._SL75_.jpg|1658562], not sure because of a similar story, but a non-fiction story dealt in a very serious way. Though this deals with much less hardships than Maus did.
nickfourtimes's review against another edition
4.0
1) "'Forgive me. It's easy for me to get carried away, talking about it. I've lived there for some time, you see... I've watched it grow and change immensely in the past ten years... There is more of everything, and everything moves faster than ever. Of course, this means that there's plenty for a new arrival to be excited about. It is, as so many people are fond of saying, second only to Paris as the cultural center of Europe. The theater, the arts—while I've been out of town they've released the first German 'talkie.' Can you imagine? There are something like, I don't know, 3,000 newspapers and magazines published right in the city, so for me...'
'I suppose your discontent must have a lot to do with your profession.'
'Don't get me wrong, fräulein Müller; I have many misgivings... There is much about it that troubles me. But in the end, I can call no other place my home.'"
2) "'I think of where these words will find purchase in several weeks' time, reproduced a thousand, ten thousand, a hundred thousand times. Who will read them? What effect will they have? An ad for cigars appears in 100,000 newspapers; sales of that brand increase by 3% for a short time thereafter. A new play receives a viciously negative review in a theatrical journal that prints 500 copies; the playwright shoots himself. Who's the better writer?'"
3) "'The first snow of winter—it's like waking up in a beautiful foreign country. What time can it be? I feel wide awake and suddenly excited, like I did when I was a little girl. I have to get out into it!
'The air is more cool than cold, and the usual smells of oil and ash are replaced by a sweetness that fills my lungs. The sky is luminous with the pink light of the city, the buildings pregnant with people oblivious to the new day that will greet them, the train bed filled by an untouched, heavy blanket. The world is replete.
It changes all the rules... frees the city from logic and geometry. Edges are blunted, open spaces blur into their surrounding obstacles; the snow mitigates and unifies. Overnight, the laws of perspective have been rendered useless.'"
4) "'What's keepin' y'up?'
'Know what day tomorrow is?'
'Y'r weddin' anniversary?'
'It's May First. May Day. Workers' Day.'
'You have t'work?'
'Do I ever.'"
'I suppose your discontent must have a lot to do with your profession.'
'Don't get me wrong, fräulein Müller; I have many misgivings... There is much about it that troubles me. But in the end, I can call no other place my home.'"
2) "'I think of where these words will find purchase in several weeks' time, reproduced a thousand, ten thousand, a hundred thousand times. Who will read them? What effect will they have? An ad for cigars appears in 100,000 newspapers; sales of that brand increase by 3% for a short time thereafter. A new play receives a viciously negative review in a theatrical journal that prints 500 copies; the playwright shoots himself. Who's the better writer?'"
3) "'The first snow of winter—it's like waking up in a beautiful foreign country. What time can it be? I feel wide awake and suddenly excited, like I did when I was a little girl. I have to get out into it!
'The air is more cool than cold, and the usual smells of oil and ash are replaced by a sweetness that fills my lungs. The sky is luminous with the pink light of the city, the buildings pregnant with people oblivious to the new day that will greet them, the train bed filled by an untouched, heavy blanket. The world is replete.
It changes all the rules... frees the city from logic and geometry. Edges are blunted, open spaces blur into their surrounding obstacles; the snow mitigates and unifies. Overnight, the laws of perspective have been rendered useless.'"
4) "'What's keepin' y'up?'
'Know what day tomorrow is?'
'Y'r weddin' anniversary?'
'It's May First. May Day. Workers' Day.'
'You have t'work?'
'Do I ever.'"
laurensalisbury's review against another edition
3.0
It was, of course, quite tragic, but at times also quite dry. I'm not sure if I have a strong desire to read the next book or if I just feel obligated to. At any rate it is an interesting look into the intersecting world of Berlin from 1918-1928.
crabbygirl's review against another edition
4.0
this is supposed to be a trilogy but i've just found out the third installment is out-of-print, and not available even through interlibrary loan! what a shame: this book is dense with narratives - it merits numerous rereads. set on the cusp of nazi germany, in town known for it's diversity and cultural currency, each event is made more sinister by our knowledge of where it ends up.
casualblasphemy's review against another edition
4.0
This graphic novel has intrigued me enough to make me want to read it’s two successors. It has a sort of quiet tension and historical relevance that I find irresistible.
nielsx's review against another edition
2.0
This graphic novel had some good and bad elements.
It was educational about different things: politics, art, history and people living in Berlin at the time. That must be the best elements, it gave me some extra info about all of those things.
The bad part would be the sudden changes of story lines that aren't always that clear. It felt like it wanted to tell too many stories at once. But actually the last half of the book was better, because it felt more controlled and showed more off where it wanted the story to go.
I wasn't sure I wanted to read the second book, but after finishing it, I think I will, because after finishing it I liked it a lot more than when I started reading it.
It was educational about different things: politics, art, history and people living in Berlin at the time. That must be the best elements, it gave me some extra info about all of those things.
The bad part would be the sudden changes of story lines that aren't always that clear. It felt like it wanted to tell too many stories at once. But actually the last half of the book was better, because it felt more controlled and showed more off where it wanted the story to go.
I wasn't sure I wanted to read the second book, but after finishing it, I think I will, because after finishing it I liked it a lot more than when I started reading it.
msaari's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting time period and setting, but I didn't find the main characters interesting enough to really captivate me. The drawing style was neat, but a bit cold. Not bad, but I probably won't bother with the second part.